


I Only Want To Be With You

by LtTrailer18



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Kissing, M/M, Marriage, Minor Allura/Lance (Voltron), Sheith Month 2019, Sick Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-05-31 13:39:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19427086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtTrailer18/pseuds/LtTrailer18
Summary: Shiro wants to marry Keith, but he's not sure if Keith has any interest in marriage. He wants to ask how Keith feels about it, but can't seem to get the words out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sheith Month 2019  
> Day One: **Marriage** /Divorce

The early morning sun was just beginning to shine through the gaps in the blinds when Shiro opened his eyes. He glanced at the clock on the dresser and noted it would be another seventeen minutes before the alarm sounded. He always woke up before it. He didn't mind, though. It meant he had time to enjoy one of his favorite things. 

His eyes moved away from the clock and down to the inky tangles sprawled across his chest and the arm draped across his stomach. He loved waking up to this. He tightened his own arm around his partner's back and gently brushed the hair out of his face. Keith stirred, as he did every morning, but didn't wake. It was perfect. Every morning he got to spend like this was absolutely perfect. 

His seventeen minutes passed by far too quickly and soon his peaceful morning was interrupted by the harsh alarm tone. He sighed and it wasn't long before the clock was rousing Shiro's sleeping boyfriend. Keith arched his back into a deep stretch and groaned softly before curling back into Shiro and clutching him with a deep exhale. He turned his head up to look at Shiro as his eyes fluttered open. 

"Morning," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. He stretched up and pressed a kiss to Shiro's jaw, then settled back down next to him. 

"Good morning, baby," Shiro answered. 

"Shut that damn thing off," Keith grumbled, burying his face into Shiro's chest. Shiro chuckled lightly and complied, sending his Altean prosthetic across the room to turn off the alarm. His human hand caressed Keith's back and Keith pressed even closer to him.

The two stayed snuggled up together in bed for a few more minutes. As much as Shiro wanted to stay where he was he knew they should both get going. 

"Come on, Keith. We need to get up," he stated. "We have to get to the Garrison," he added when Keith didn't move. 

Keith groaned. "Can't we play hooky?" he whined. 

"Hey, at least you're going to get to fly today! I'm going to be stuck in meetings all day."

"With the MFEs," Keith bemoaned. 

"It won't be so bad. I know you and Griffin have your issues but you guys have made real strides lately. And Rizavi, Kinkade, and Leifsdottir are easy to get along with." 

"For you, maybe. I don't know how to talk to them. Leifsdottir is alright, but Rizavi and Kinkade are constantly referencing movies I have never seen and then look at me like I’m a freak when I have no idea what they are talking about,” Keith pouted. "Haven't you ever seen _Surf Ninjas?!?_ " Keith said, imitating the bubbly pilot. "No, Rizavi, I haven't seen _Surf Ninjas_. Stop asking me if I've ever seen _Surf Ninjas._ "

"Is that a real movie?" Shiro asked.

"Apparently,” Keith grumbled.

"Sounds like the solution to your problem is to watch _Surf Ninjas._ " Shiro supplied. 

"No, thanks, I'm good." 

Shiro laughed softly. "Suit yourself," he said. "But, really, we should get up." He gently prodded at Keith's side, earning a disgruntled moan from the man. 

"Fine, fine," he mumbled as he sat up. Shiro followed quickly and they both got out of bed and began their morning routine. 

Keith stumbled into the bathroom first, Shiro admiring him in his red boxers and black tank top as he went. When Keith had disappeared behind the door Shiro busied himself with gathering his clothes for the day. He then joined Keith in the bathroom where he was now brushing his teeth. Shiro snaked his arms around Keith's waist and pressed against him. Keith smiled around the toothbrush in his mouth. Shiro kissed the top of his head before moving along. Keith finished brushing and then left to get his own clothes prepared. 

While Shiro continued getting ready for work he thought about Keith and their relationship. They'd been together for nearly six years now and Shiro knew Keith was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He'd thought about taking the next step many times but something always held him back. He wasn't entirely sure Keith would want to. It wasn't that he doubted Keith loved him. No, he was certain of that. Still, there was a persistent sense of unease that settled in his stomach whenever he thought about it. There was a conversation he and Keith needed to have, one they probably should have had a while ago.Shiro had tried, many times, to bring it up. But he always backed down at the last moment. Shiro sighed and returned to their room. Keith was just finishing getting his Garrison uniform on when Shiro came in. 

"Hey, Keith, can we talk for a minute?" Shiro asked. 

Keith eyed him curiously. “Sure, what’s up?”

"I was kind of wondering how you felt about…" he paused and scraped his teeth across his bottom lip. He exhaled, "how do you feel about lasagna?” Shiro mentally kicked himself. 

“Lasagna,” Keith repeated, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yeah, I thought maybe we could get some for dinner?” Keith stared at Shiro, his lips turned downward in a frown and his eyebrows raised expectantly. “What? Not interested?” Shiro tried.

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’m more interested in what you actually want to ask me.”

Sweat began to bead on Shiro’s brow as his nerves took over. His mouth suddenly felt very dry and the room seemed a bit too hot. He took a moment to clear his throat. “What do you mean?”

Keith closed his eyes momentarily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I mean,” he gritted out, “A few days ago you asked me ‘how I felt’ about apple cider. Last week you asked me ‘how i felt’ about buying new curtains.The week before, it was ‘how i felt’ about carrots.” Keith looked back at Shiro. “What do you really want to know?”

Shiro’s embarrassment now rivaled his nerves. Of course Keith would realize he had something on his mind. Keith knew him better than he knew himself, it seemed. He dropped his gaze to his feet, too worried about Keith’s response to be able to look at him when he asked. “How do you feel about marriage?”

Keith was quiet for a few moments and the silence was agony to Shiro. "Like," he said finally, " in general, or for me personally?"

"For you," Shiro replied. Then, more quietly, he added, "for us. Do you want to get married?”

"Oh. Um…" Keith considered. "I'm perfectly happy with things the way they are. I love you. I know you love me. I don't need a ring or a piece of paper to prove it."

Shiro nodded. He was just as confident in their relationship as Keith was, but there was some part of him that felt disappointed and he wasn't sure why. He didn't need the ring or the paper either, but he wanted them. 

"But it's not like I'm opposed to getting married," Keith continued, and Shiro's attention snapped back to him. 

"You're not?" Shiro questioned. 

"No," Keith answered. "Did I do something to make you think I was?"

Shiro shook his head. "I don't know why I thought you wouldn't want to. I guess it just didn't seem like your thing."

"Well, I wouldn't want to with just anyone, but you're not just anyone." Keith smiled that special smile of his, the one that was reserved just for Shiro, and it sent all Shiro's doubts scattering. The apprehension he'd be carrying with him disappeared and Shiro returned Keith's smile. 

Keith crossed the room and closed the distance between them. He reached his arms around Shiro and rested them over his shoulders, his hands clasped behind his neck. He kissed Shiro softly and he returned it eagerly. Keith broke the kiss, but stayed close to Shiro, enough so that when he spoke again their lips brushed. 

"How long have you been worrying about this?"

Shiro could feel the heat on his cheeks as a light blush spread across them. He pursed his lips, then wrapped his arms around Keith's lower back and pulled him in close, dropping his head and nuzzling into to Keith's neck. "Too long," he mumbled. 

"Shiro…" Keith urged. He moved one arm around Shiro and splayed his hand across his back, while the other moved up and settled in his hair, gently stroking as they held each other. 

Shiro took a deep breath. “I first seriously started thinking about it around three years ago.”

Keith pushed Shiro back, glaring at him with wide eyes. “Three years?” he hissed. Shiro grimaced. Keith closed his eyes and took several calming breaths. His clenched his fists tightly for a moment, then released them and exhaled deeply. He pulled Shiro back into the hug. "You can always, always, talk to me when something's bothering you." 

"I know," Shiro murmured. 

"Do you?" he scoffed. 

Shiro lifted his head and pulled back from Keith slightly. He released his hold on him and placed his hands on both sides of the man's face. "I do," Shiro said with a rueful smile. “I was just afraid of how you’d react. I didn’t want to ruin what we have. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

Keith gave Shiro a considering a look. "Stop bottling things up and stressing yourself out," he said sternly. "Talk to me when something is bothering you, even if, no, especially if it's about me." Shiro nodded. "I mean, jeez, Shiro, you're talking about marriage and you can't even communicate with me properly. Isn't that Marriage 101?"

"You're right," Shiro ceded. 

"And everyone thinks I'm the emotionally stunted one," he grumbled, drawing a laugh from Shiro. 

"You think I'm emotionally stunted?" Shiro asked.

"A little bit, yeah. It's fine, though. I still love you." He pulled Shiro toward him and resumed kissing him. Shiro's hands slid down to Keith's hips and he turned them, guiding Keith back and up against the wall. He parted his lips and Keith followed his lead, allowing their tongues to slide together. Keith's fingers were gently scratching the back of Shiro's head. Shiro's mouth began to wander down Keith's jaw and eventually to his neck. His hands found the hem of Keith's undershirt and carefully slid underneath it, allowing him to touch Keith's bare skin. Keith hummed appreciatively at the contact and tightened his grip in Shiro's hair. Shiro pressed closer to Keith and licked a stripe up his neck. Keith moaned softly as Shiro began nibbling at his ear. 

"Shiro," he breathed as Shiro began kissing down his jaw. Their lips found each other again and Shiro pressed Keith even closer and kissed him deeply. He kissed along the other side of Keith's jaw and then moved to that side of his neck. Keith turned his head to give Shiro better access and his eyes caught sight of the clock. "Fuck," he gasped. "Shiro, your meeting." Shiro pulled back and looked at the clock himself. 

"Shit," he muttered. "I've got to be there in 15 minutes."

"Get dressed. I'll wash up an apple for you to take and eat on the way." 

Keith hurried into their kitchen, straightening his uniform as he went. Shiro grabbed the clothes he'd pulled out and dressed quickly. He grabbed his briefcase, yanked his datapad off the charger on his bedside table and threw it in. He rushed out of the bedroom and almost ran into Keith. He took the offered apple then leaned in and gave Keith a quick peck on the cheek. 

"Thanks, babe," he said. "I'll see you for lunch?" Keith nodded. "Great. Bye, I love you!" 

"Love you too, Shiro," Keith responded.

Shiro rushed out the door but poked his head back in. "Oh, and Keith?" Keith met his gaze. "Let's pick up where we left off when we get home tonight," he said with a wink. 

Keith laughed quietly to himself and suddenly had some new reasons he wanted the day to be over as quickly as possible. As he gathered up his things and prepared to leave he considered the discussion he and Shiro had just finished. When he opened the door to their quarters he had a startling thought. 

"Wait," he muttered to himself, "I didn't just get engaged, did I?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith figures out if he and Shiro got engaged and muddles through training with the MFEs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what happened but this got way longer than it was supposed to be. This chapter is more than twice as long as the first one, and this was only supposed to be a two chapter fic but it has mutated into something else. Whoops! Hope you enjoy it anyway.

“So, what do you think?” Keith asked before taking another bite of eggs. 

“I think you are both idiots,” Pidge scowled.

Keith waited for her to go on, but she simply picked up her coffee and sipped at it before grabbing her toast and eating. “Ok, fine, we’re idiots. But are we engaged idiots?” He’d spent the last few minutes giving Pidge the play-by-play of his morning with Shiro and his uncertainty of their current status.

Pidge sighed and gave Keith a hard look. “You just fought with him this morning about he doesn’t talk to you about this shit, and now here you are, not talking to him.” 

“I’ll talk to him tonight,” Keith replied. “It’s not that important.” 

Pidge snorted. “Whether or not you are engaged isn’t that important?”

“No,” Keith maintained. “It isn’t. I’m happy either way, as long as we’re together.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“I’m not worried about anything.”

“You’re asking for my advice.”

“I’m asking for your opinion.”

“I gave you my opinion.”

“You said we’re idiots. That doesn’t help me figure out if I’m engaged.”

“I thought it doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t. But I feel like it’s something I should know.”

“Then I guess you better talk to Shiro.”

“I will,” Keith said again. “After work.” He waited a moment for Pidge to respond, but she just stared at him, a look on her face that Keith read as irritation. He sighed. He hadn't meant to annoy her. "Forget it," he mumbled.

Pidge watched Keith poke at his eggs for a few moments. “I don’t think you’re engaged,” she finally said. Keith looked up at her. “Shiro’s a romantic at heart. He may not always be very good at it, but it’s who he is. He’d want to propose to you for real.”

Keith considered her words for a few moments before slowly nodding. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said. "Thanks, Pidge." Keith flashed her a small smile. She shook her head and took a bite of her own eggs. They continued eating together quietly for a minute before Pidge broke the silence. 

"So," she smirked. "I bet you're excited for this morning." She chuckled quietly as Keith's grip on his fork tightened and he clenched his jaw. 

"Thrilled," he said through his teeth. 

“It won’t be that bad.”

“So everyone keeps saying,” Keith grumbled. “I don’t understand why I am the only one of us who has to go to this.”

“Well, Hunk, Allura, and I are going to be working on the prototypes for the new healing pods with Coran and my dad. Iverson and Shiro agreed we shouldn't put that off in favor of a battle strategy meeting between the MFEs and Voltron." Pidge shrugged, then got a wicked gleam in her eyes. "You could always have Lance join you."

Keith groaned. "Oh, yes, because adding Lance is the way to improve this situation."

"I take extreme offense to that, Mullet!" Lance walked up to the pair and set his tray down beside Keith's. "I improve every situation." 

Keith wrinkled his nose at his friend and asked, "do you?"

"Absolutely," Lance retorted, flicking his fork in Keith's direction and accidentally flinging a piece of egg at him. 

"Hmm, disagree. This," Keith said, pointing to the egg now clinging to his uniform, "is not an improvement." He flicked the food off his uniform and onto his tray while Pidge snickered. Keith grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the spot on his shirt. 

"I thought you might get hungry later and would want a snack," Lance shrugged. "Excuse me for trying to make sure your nutritional needs are met."

Keith rolled his eyes. He checked the time and sighed. He needed to get going. He gathered up his things and stood to leave. "I'm heading out," he announced. Pidge caught his eye and meaningfully looked at Lance, eyebrows raised. 

"Do you want to come?" he asked Lance reluctantly. 

"As much as I appreciate your sincere, last second invitation," Lance quipped, "I can't." I'm doing a supply run to the refugee camp with Veronica and some others. I may not be a valued member of Team Voltron, but I am of the McClain Family."

"Ok, great," Keith replied. "See you guys later." 

Keith left the cafeteria and headed to the conference room where he was supposed to work with the MFEs on flight plans and cooperative battle strategies. He'd been preoccupied with his dread for the meeting that he hadn't fully processed what Lance has said as he left, but the walk gave him time to do so. He wondered if Lance truly felt as if he and the others didn't value him on the team. He felt a pang of guilt for not picking up in it sooner and saying something contrary before he walked out. 

He was still mentally kicking himself for what he saw as his shortcomings as a leader when he entered the conference room he was to meet the MFEs. Movement in the room caught his eye and he looked to see someone rising from their seat.

“Good morning, Lieutenant Commander, Kogane” he sneered as he saluted. 

Keith blinked dumbly a few times, still not used to his rank and being saluted. He shook himself out of it and returned the salute. “Good morning, Chief Griffin.” He hated the formality, and although Griffin clearly resented Keith’s rank he was the one who choose to begin their encounter that way. Keith was just following suit. 

Keith reluctantly took a seat at the head of the table. It took him a bit longer than it should have to realize that Griffin was still standing and saluting. “Oh, uh, at ease?” Keith said uncertainly. God, how he hated being the highest ranking person in the room. Griffin rolled his eyes as he dropped his hand and sat back down in his chair. Keith bit the inside of his lip to keep himself in check and stop himself from snapping at Griffin that he was the one who insisted on using their titles, and that it wasn’t his fault the Garrison had promoted Keith to Lieutenant Commander and only given Griffin Chief Petty Officer.

Keith pulled out his tablet and began opening the documents and schematics he needed for the meeting. He was making sure he had all the necessary materials when the door burst open and someone ran inside.

“Yes! Rizavi cheered. “First one here!” Keith pointedly looked at Griffin. “He doesn’t count,” she protested. “He probably got here an hour ago.” Keith bit back a smile as Griffin slumped in his chair, a faint pink dusting his cheeks. Rizavi plopped down in a chair across from Griffin. “Morning, Keith. Looking forward to flying with you this afternoon.” 

Griffin straightened in his seat. “You’re talking to an Officer,” he said sternly. “You should address him properly.”

Rizavi scoffed. “Oh, chill out James. He doesn’t want me to call him ‘Lieutenant Commander Kogane’, she said with mirth. “Do you, Keith?” 

“Not even slightly,” Keith returned. 

“See?” Rizavi turned back to Griffin. “He’s not a stuffy higher up concerned with bureaucratic bullshit. He’s a pilot, like us." 

"It doesn't matter! It's improper." Griffin crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "And while we are on the subject, technically you should address me as Chief Griffin."

Rizavi's jaw dropped. "Oh, hell no. There is no fucking way I'm calling you 'Chief Griffin.'" Rizavi's lip curled in disgust as she spoke the title. 

Keith tried to tune them out as they bickered. He felt a headache coming on and knew it was going to be a very long morning. He couldn't wait for lunch with Shiro. He only wished they could go back to their place. He could really use some couch snuggling to help him recharge. The meeting hadn't even started yet and he already felt drained. 

"You could get written up for insubordination," Griffin charged. 

"You wouldn't write me up. I'd kick your bitch ass if you did."

"If Commander Iverson heard you he might write you up."

Rizavi snorted. "Iverson called Shiro, a freaking Admiral who outranks him, 'Takeshi' three times in a meeting last week! That's not even his name!"

Keith resisted the urge to groan, and suppressed the rapidly growing need to shout "just screw already!" at them. He wondered if that's how people felt watching him and Shiro before they got together. Of course, they didn't argue like that, but apparently their affections for each other were just as obvious to those around them as Griffin's and Rizavi's were, and just as frustrating to watch.

The door opened again and the rest of their party entered. Kinkade and Leifsdottir walked in together. Rizavi leapt from her seat. 

"I beat you, Ryan! You owe me five bucks!"

"Damn," Kinkade said, reaching for his wallet. "I thought for sure I'd have at least another 20 minutes.

"Haha," Rizavi sneered, then held up a choice finger before taking the money. "Get this, guys. James thinks we should call him 'Chief Griffin' from now on. 

"Hmm," Kinkade pondered. "Yeah, not doing that. Super weird." Rizavi's expression became smug. 

"Logically then," Leifsdottir chimed in, "he would be required to use our ranks when addressing us, necessitating him to call me 'Petty Officer Leifsdottir whenever he wished to address me. It's rather cumbersome."

"But it's protocol," James argued. "We could get in trouble."

The four of them continued debating while Keith sat quietly, his elbows on the table and his hands clasped. He was resting his forehead on them, his eyes closed, wishing for the meeting to start. It was then that he realized he was in charge.

"Alright, enough," he said authoritatively. Four heads swiveled and all eyes locked on him. "In this room, this group, there are no ranks. We are pilots, first and foremost. Let's get to work."

The morning went a bit better than Keith had anticipated. Even Griffin had eased up and dropped Keith's title, though he still referred to him by his last name. They'd spent the whole time strategizing and coming up with battle plans that would allow the MFEs to fight effectively alongside both the Lions individually and Voltron. They'd come up with a number of formations and would be testing them out in the afternoon, joined by the rest of the paladins.

Keith waited for Shiro in the Officer's break room and tried to de-stress. He sat at the counter in the kitchen and laid his head down, still nursing the headache he'd developed earlier. He heard the door open and soon the stool beside him was pulled out and someone sat on it. He turned to look and was rather surprised to see Shiro. Normally when he'd find Keith stressed as he was Shiro would rub his shoulders and see if he wanted to talk, usually accompanied by a sweet kiss to his temple. But now Shiro sat beside him, his arms folded tightly across his chest, his expression laced with anger. 

"Shiro?" Keith said, concern evident in his voice. His brows knitted together. "What's wrong?" 

"I ran into Pidge on my way here," he said tersely. "I was going to talk to her about the new arm you told me she and Allura were designing for me, but the moment I said your name she cut me off and said she would only be dealing with one relationship problem a day and that you'd already filled her quota."

Keith sighed and sat up, shaking his head. "Dammit, Pidge," he muttered. 

"I'm a little confused because you yelled at me this morning for not talking to you when I was worried about our relationship..."

"I think 'yelled' is a bit strong."

"..and here you are, doing the same thing."

Keith scoffed. "Me not talking to you about something that I started thinking about this morning when we weren't together and had other things going on is a far cry from you not talking to me about something for three years." Shiro faltered for a moment, clearly seeing Keith's point, but held his ground, so Keith continued. "What I talked to Pidge about was not a problem with us, it was a problem with me and my inability to read social cues." Shiro cocked his head. "And even so, I was still planning to tell you tonight." 

Shiro eyed Keith, as if he were trying to decide if Keith was being honest. "Well, you may as well tell me now."

Keith closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. His headache was getting worse and he just wanted to relax with Shiro before his afternoon session with Griffin and the others. But he knew that if he refused it would make everything worse. 

"After you left this morning," he said stiffly, "I started thinking that there was a tiny chance that we had maybe gotten engaged." A blush crept up his cheeks as he said the words. Shiro didn't say anything and after a few moments Keith faced him. Whatever Shiro had thought Keith was going to say, that wasn't it. All traces of anger Shiro was holding when he'd arrived had vanished. He sat there in a stunned silence, which only made Keith's blush deepen. "I know, I'm an idiot," Keith grumbled, looking away. "Only I'd be dense enough to not know if I'd been proposed to." He folded his arms on the island and dropped his forehead on them. He heard Shiro stifle a laugh and he gripped his arms tightly, short nails digging deep into the flesh. His face was absolutely flaming. This was precisely why he'd planned to talk to Shiro at home. The break room may have been empty at the moment, but people could walk in at any moment and bear witness to Keith's humiliation. 

Keith heard, or perhaps sensed, Shiro moving, but was still caught off guard when Shiro grabbed his stool and pulled them closer together. Shiro placed his arm across Keith's back, gently gripping his shoulder. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against the side of Keith's head.

"You're not an idiot," he said. He placed his other hand over Keith's, gently running his thumb along the back, silently urging him to loosen his grip. Keith complied. Shiro pressed a kiss to Keith's temple. "I'm sorry." 

Keith turned his face back to Shiro, one eyebrow raised. "For what?" 

"I had no right to be mad." Shiro kissed Keith's forehead. "I should've let you explain first. I made assumptions I shouldn't have." 

"What did you think I talked to Pidge about?" 

"It's not important."

"Come on, Shiro. You were pissed. What was it?" 

Shiro sighed. "I guess I thought you didn't really want to get married and only said you did to make me happy." 

Keith lifted his head and reached out to put his hand behind Shiro's neck. He pulled Shiro toward him, capturing his lips in his own. He pulled back, smiling, and said, "I only want to be with you, Shiro." He kissed him again. "Getting to marry you will make me happy, too." Shiro leaned forward, expecting another kiss, and Keith gladly obliged. They continued their chaste kisses for a while and were so lost in each other they didn't hear the door open. 

"Seriously, guys? I came here to enjoy my lunch hour and now I have to stand here and watch you two sucking face." 

Shiro pulled away, cheeks faintly pink. "Sorry, Lance. Didn't hear you come in." 

"Oh, like you're one to talk, Lance," Hunk said. "Did I or did I not just see you in the hallway with your tongue down Allura's throat?" 

"Dude!" Lance exclaimed, throwing an elbow at Hunk. 

"At least Keith and Shiro have the decency to make out behind closed doors." Pidge said. 

Keith went back to laying his head on his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the ache in his skull. It was much harder without Shiro's lips to distract him. 

"Keith? Are you ok, sweetheart?" 

Keith opened his eyes halfway. "Yeah, it was just a long morning." 

"I'm going to get you something to eat," Shiro answered. 

"I can get it," Keith responded, his eyes closed again. He made no effort to get up. 

"Why don't you guys go sit on the couch for awhile," Hunk suggested. "I'll make everyone lunch." 

Normally Shiro would have offered to help Hunk, but as he looked at Keith he noticed his face was scrunched like he was in pain and he seemed a bit pale. "Thanks, Hunk," he smiled. "Come on, Keith. Let's go lay on the couch." 

Keith let Shiro pull him to the brown sofa just behind them. Shiro sat down first then had Keith lay down on his back, his head in Shiro's lap. 

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, carding his fingers through Keith's long hair. 

"Mmhmm, just tired," he mumbled. "Bit of headache. No big deal." 

Keith drifted off in Shiro's lap, sleeping peacefully while Hunk prepared everyone's lunch. Shiro roused him about twenty minutes later to eat. 

"How's your headache?" Shiro asked after they'd finished eating. 

Keith shrugged. "I'll manage." Shiro leaned back against the couch, pulling Keith with him and guiding his head to Shiro’s shoulder. “I should go,” Keith sighed, reluctant to leave Shiro’s comforting side. 

“Aren’t we starting at two?” Pidge asked. “You still have like 45 minutes.”

“I know, but I have to do some maintenance on Black beforehand.” He sat up, turned to give Shiro a quick peck, then stood to leave.

Keith finished his maintenance on Black and still had some time to spare before the other paladins and the MFEs would arrive. He sat in the pilot’s seat and rested. His head was still throbbing. He had the display up so he could see into the hangar and would know when the others showed up. After a few minutes voices filtered through the speakers.

“--not fair. I’ve worked my ass off for years here and I’ll never make officer because Keith hates me and will block my promotions.” Keith sighed as he watched Griffin come into view, walking alongside Kinkade. 

“You really think he’d do that?” Kinkade asked.

“Definitely. I’m sure he’s loving being able to act like he’s better than me and getting to order me around.” Griffin crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. 

“I don’t know, James. I don’t get that vibe from him.”

“It’s such bullshit. He doesn’t deserve it,” James continued, ignoring Kinkade. “He’s never been a team player, and just because some weird sentient magic lion thinks he’s a good leader doesn’t mean he is.”

Keith slumped in his seat. It was hard enough that he thought those things about himself, but hearing someone else say it certainly didn't do anything for Keith’s confidence. 

“They only reason he got that promotion is because he’s sleeping with Admiral Shirogane.” 

Keith flew out of his seat, ready to storm down there and pummel Griffin. He could say whatever he wanted about Keith, but Keith wouldn’t let him drag Shiro’s name through the mud. As he started to leave another voice stopped him. 

“Shut the hell up, Griffin!” Lance shouted, stomping over to the two. “You have no fucking idea what you are talking about.” Griffin scrambled to salute, Lance and the other paladins were all made Ensigns, but Lance batted his hand down. “Shiro abstains from any conversation or vote regarding Keith’s rank because he doesn’t want assholes like you using their relationship to belittle Keith’s accomplishments. He’s an excellent leader and he sure as hell deserves to be recognized for everything he’s done. I’m proud to follow him.” 

Keith gaped as he watched Lance defend him. Unfortunately, it didn’t make him feel much better in light of Lance’s comments at breakfast. Keith sure didn’t feel like a good leader.

“And Keith is not the reason you haven’t made officer, dingbat. In fact, Keith recommended all the MFEs be made officers when he made Lieutenant and again when he made Lieutenant Commander.” Griffin balked at Lance’s claim. “Veronica rejected his proposal both times. She doesn’t think you’re ready.”

Griffin was properly stunned and stared silently at his feet. Keith decided it was about time for him to get down there. He was going to play dumb, and pretend he hadn’t heard any of what had just happened. As Black opened up and he made his way out Griffin stared at him wide-eyed. 

“Oh, hey,” Keith said, pretending to notice them. Griffin continued to stare at him. He cocked an eyebrow and said, “Is there a problem?”

Griffin snapped out of it and cleared his throat. “No, sir,” he said, his hand shooting to his head in salute. “Sorry, sir.” 

Keith feigned confusion and pushed past it. “You don’t have to do that. Like I said this morning, we’re pilots first. Fretting over rank and protocol is gonna get in the way.” 

“Right,” Griffin muttered, dropping his hand and crossing his arms. He avoided Keith’s eyes and stayed quiet against the wall.

Eventually the rest of the group arrived and they went into the office to catch the other paladins up on what they’d worked out in the morning. Each had their own contributions to make, and a few changes were made. 

“Alright,” Keith said after they’d talked their way through the last formation. “Let’s suit up and get out there.” They all began to rise and make their way out of the room, but Keith called out to Lance and he stopped. “Could you hang back for a second?” 

“Uh, sure?” he replied. Allura looked between the two of them, then gave Lance a quick peck on the corner of his mouth before leaving them alone, closing the door behind her. “What’s up?” 

“I just wanted to thank you for what you said out there,” he said, jerking his chin in the direction of the hangar. 

“So, you heard all that, huh?” Lance asked. Keith nodded. “Griffin’s full of shit. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” 

Keith worried his bottom lip, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to. “I don’t know, he might have a point. A good leader would’ve noticed if someone on his team felt as though they weren’t valued.”

Lance looked confused for a moment, then seemed to remember what he had said that morning and laughed. “Dude! I was just joking!” Keith tilted his head to the side, eyebrow raised in silent question. Lance sighed. “Ok, well, maybe it just seems like, occasionally, I’m expendable.”

“You’re not.” Keith said firmly.

“I mean, you’re the leader, and by far the best pilot and fighter. Pidge and Hunk are both wicked smart and can do all this fancy tech stuff that I can’t even begin to understand. Allura is super strong and smart and fast and has her Altean magic.” He shrugged. “I’m just… me.”

“Lance, you are just as integral to this team as any of the rest of us. I am sorry if we-- if I-- made you feel otherwise. We wouldn’t be here without you.” Keith walked across the room and stood in front of Lance. He placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I am honored to fight by your side.”

Lance blushed and mumbled his thanks. Keith withdrew his hand and started for the door, but Lance reached out and stopped him. 

“You are a good leader, Keith. Don’t let Griffin or anybody else tell you otherwise.”

The afternoon went smoothly. They’d run through all the formations they’d devised with the Lions, and would schedule a time to work on the Voltron ones later. Being up in the air and flying again felt amazing, and Keith had completely forgotten about his headache. Unfortunately as he was changing out of his pilot suit it returned with a vengeance. He grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen he kept stored in his locker and took four. Hunk saw him do so and expressed concern, but Keith just waved him off. 

Keith got back to his and Shiro’s quarters and flopped down on the couch. His head felt a bit better, but was still bothering him. He checked the time and figured if he started right away he could have dinner ready by the time Shiro got home. He went to the kitchen and looked through the pantry and cupboards, making sure he had all the ingredients to make what he’d planned. After confirming he did he set to work.

Once Keith had the food in the oven he brought the kitchen timer out to the living room and laid down on the couch. He had just begun to doze off when the timer sounded and he jerked awake, shutting it off immediately, It did no favors for his headache. He got up and checked on dinner. Keith took the food out of the oven and set it on the stove to cool. He checked the time and figured Shiro would be home any minute so he set the table, setting the entree down on a trivet in the center, and sat down to wait. Shiro still hadn’t arrived after about ten minutes, and Keith gave in to the fatigue that had been plaguing him all afternoon. He pushed his plate aside and pillowed his head on his arms, drifting to sleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to get out as this one did. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro returns home and finds Keith asleep at the dinner table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for the enormous delay between Chapter 1 and 2, here's Chapter 3 already! Also, shout out to my sister for giving me her Surface for keeps so I don't have to use my janky laptop anymore!

Shiro trudged down the hall to his quarters. They’d sprung a last minute meeting on him and delayed his arrival home by two and a half hours. He hadn’t even had time to let Keith know he’d be late. It was nearly nine and all Shiro wanted to do was eat and go to bed. 

He arrived at his door and placed his hand on the scanner. The lock clicked and the door slid open. Shiro stepped inside and his heart dropped into his stomach. The door shut and locked behind him and he leaned against it, letting his head fall back.

“Shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. Keith was sitting at the dining room table, slumped over and fast asleep. He’d made dinner and fallen asleep at the table waiting for Shiro to get home. Shiro set his briefcase down on the floor beside the small table by the door. He slipped off his shoes, placed them on the mat and walked over to Keith. He looked at the meal sitting on the table and felt even worse. Keith hadn’t eaten yet. He sighed, cursing himself for getting roped into that damn meeting, or at the very least, not calling to let Keith know he’d be late. 

Shiro crouched down beside Keith, covering one of Keith’s hands with his prosthetic one. He placed his other hand on Keith’s back, rubbing gently. His thumb ran circles on Keith’s hand. 

“Keith,” he said softly. “Come on, sweetheart.” After a few more tries Keith began to stir. His eyelids fluttered open slowly. “Oh, honey, I am so, so sorry.” Keith lifted his head and blinked hard a few times, looking around the room. 

“What time is it?” he mumbled. 

“Almost nine,” Shiro cringed. 

“Oh,” Keith said with a yawn. “Dinner’s probably cold.” He reached out and felt the pan. “Are you hungry? I can throw it back in the oven to heat up while you change.” 

Keith stood, picking up the pan and carried it into the kitchen. Shiro watched him, feeling worse by the second. Keith had already done so much, and he didn’t seem upset that Shiro had been so late. Shiro got to his feet and walked to their room so he could change out of his uniform. He put his pajamas on and went back out to Keith. He found him sitting on the couch, his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms folded around them and pillowing his head. Shiro sat down beside him and ran his fingers through his hair. Keith hummed and smiled.

“I’m sorry, Keith,” Shiro said again. 

Keith’s face twisted in confusion. “Why are you apologizing?”

“Wh--” Shiro scoffed. “I’m three hours late, Keith. You made dinner. You fell asleep at the table waiting for me!”

“I’m sure you had a good reason,” Keith shrugged.

Shiro gaped at Keith. “No, you know what? I didn’t. Iverson pulled me in on a meeting about supply lines at the last minute.”

“Sounds important,” Keith said.

“Not as important as you,” Shiro snapped. “I should’ve told him to put something in the schedule. I should’ve come home and had dinner with you.”

“You didn’t know I was going to make dinner,” Keith reasoned.

“I know,” Shiro conceded. “But I still feel awful. You were just sitting there, waiting for me, for hours.”

“It’s fine, Shiro. Don’t worry about it.” 

Shiro leaned over to kiss Keith, but was startled by the kitchen timer as it went off. He jumped, eliciting a small chuckle from Keith, who promptly turned it off and went to the kitchen. Keith opened the oven and checked on the food, deciding it was warm enough to eat. He grabbed some potholders and pulled it out, carrying it back to the dining room table. Shiro came over and sat down while Keith went back to turn the oven off. 

“So what did you make?” Shiro asked. 

Keith smirked as he walked into the dining room. “Lasagna.” 

“Well, aren’t you cheeky,” Shiro pouted.

“Hmm, that’s why you love me.” Keith walked over to Shiro, grabbed his face with both hands, and kissed him softly. Shiro pulled Keith down into his lap. 

“That,” Shiro said, pausing to kiss Keith again, “and so many other reasons.” Shiro deepened their kiss, prodding Keith’s lips with his tongue, encouraging him to open up. He did, and they spent several minutes enjoying each other before Keith finally pulled back.

“Dinner’s going to get cold again,” Keith said. He pressed one last kiss to Shiro’s jaw then stood up. He grabbed the knife he’d brought out earlier and cut into the lasagna, placing a piece on each plate.

Shiro took a bite and moaned. “God, I forgot how good you are at this.” He took another bite, savoring the flavor. “Why don’t you cook more?”

Keith shrugged. “Because I hate doing dishes.” 

“I will do all the dishes. Forever. If you just cook even one meal a week.” 

Keith laughed. “Deal.” 

Shiro had a second piece, then collected his and Keith’s plates and washed them up while Keith covered the leftovers and put them in the fridge. Once they were done they headed to their room and got ready for bed. 

Shiro woke up a few hours later, hot and sweaty. He wondered if the climate setting had been changed and was thinking about going to check when he felt Keith shudder in his arm. He looked at him, sleeping as usual curled into Shiro’s side, head on his chest with his arm across his belly, and realized he was shivering. He placed his hand against Keith’s forehead and was alarmed at how warm he felt. He disentangled himself from Keith and slipped into the bathroom to retrieve their thermometer from the medicine cabinet. He cursed when he got the reading. Keith’s temperature was 102.1. Shiro was loathe to do it, but he needed to wake Keith and figure out what other symptoms he had so he could get him the right medicine. 

Shiro gripped Keith's shoulder and gently shook him, tenderly calling his name and urging him to wake. Keith whimpered softly, curling in on himself in response.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. I just need you to wake up for a couple minutes." Keith's eyelids screwed closed more tightly, then he finally peeled them open.

"Sh- Sh'ro?" he rasped. He groaned, closing his eyes again. 

"I need you to tell me what's wrong, Keith, so I know how to help." Shiro carded his fingers through Keith's hair. 

"I'm s-so c-cold," he stammered. "Everything h-hurts."

Shiro ran through a few other symptoms and confirmed Keith was suffering from chills, body aches, a headache, and pain in his chest, but no sore throat or nausea. 

"I think you might have the flu, baby," Shiro said, his hand cupping Keith's cheek. "I'll get you some medicine and some water." 

Shiro went back into the bathroom and returned quickly with a nighttime cold and flu medicine. He helped Keith sit up so he could drink the fluid. Keith grimaced at the taste, but swallowed it all down. Shiro kissed his forehead and helped him lay back down, then went to the kitchen and filled up a water bottle for him. He brought it back and made Keith drink a bit before climbing back into bed with him. He pulled Keith close, rubbing his back delicately. 

"You're gonna g-get sick," he murmured into Shiro's side. 

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," he said, leaning to kiss the top of Keith's head. Keith nuzzled even closer to him, grasping Shiro's shirt with a trembling hand. Shiro used his Altean prosthetic to retrieve another blanket from their closet, and draped it over Keith's shivering form. 

Shiro slept for a few more hours and woke just a few minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off. He turned it off before it sounded, not wanting it to disturb Keith. He reached over and grabbed the thermometer from the bedside table and took Keith’s temperature again. It was a bit lower than it had been, coming in at 101.8, but still higher than Shiro would like. He knew there wasn’t much more he could do for him though, so he carefully slipped out of bed and got ready for work. As badly as he wanted to stay home and take care of Keith, he knew Keith would insist he didn’t.

Once Shiro was dressed and ready he went to wake Keith up. He shook him gently and spoke softly to him until Keith’s eyes opened. 

“Morning, love,” Shiro said, his voice hushed. “How are you feeling?” 

“What time is it?” he muttered.

"About 20 to 8."

"What?! Why didn't you wake me?" Keith sat up quickly, then groaned and clutched his head. 

"Easy, Keith!" Shiro grabbed Keith's shoulders and steadied him. "You're sick." 

"I have to review the data from training yesterday and report to Iverson this afternoon." 

"You're not going anywhere, Keith. You're sick." 

"But-" Keith tried to protest but Shiro interrupted. 

"No, Keith. You need to rest. I'll let Iverson know you'll have to reschedule. 

Shiro guided Keith back down and kissed his forehead once he got him settled. "I'll bring some crackers for you, in case you get hungry." Shiro left to get them and when he returned found Keith out of bed. 

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to pee!"

"Oh, well I guess that's ok."

"Damn fucking right it is," Keith grumbled, disappearing into the bathroom. Shiro chuckled. He set the sleeve of crackers on the bedside table and checked Keith's water bottle. He decided to top it off and went into the kitchen to do so. When he was finished he turned around to go back to the bedroom and found Keith was coming out. 

"Now what are you doing?" Shiro's questioned.

"Couch," Keith stated. He collapsed onto the couch and curled up, grabbing the blanket they kept draped over the back and pulling it around himself. He reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the remote. "Bedroom's too quiet." 

Shiro set Keith's water bottle on the floor beside him and went back to the bedroom to grab more blankets and Keith's pillow, as well as the crackers. He brought them back out and helped Keith get situated.

"Don't cancel the meeting with Iverson," Keith said as Shiro's tucked the blankets around him. 

"Keith," Shiro said sternly, "you're not going." 

"I know. Ask Lance to do it." 

Shiro blinked a few times in surprise. "Lance? Really?" 

"Mmhmm," Keith confirmed. "He can handle it." 

"Ok," Shiro said hesitantly, "if you're sure."

"I am," Keith yawned. "Ask him to schedule another practical session, too."

Shiro leaned in and kissed Keith's forehead. "I'm gonna get going, baby. You call me if you need anything." He ran his fingers through Keith's hair. I've got crackers and water here for you, and I'll get your data pad out here." He went back into their bedroom to retrieve Keith's pad, setting it to Do Not Disturb. He set his own number as the only override, so his calls could get through. He set the pad on the coffee table next to the crackers. "You can take some more medicine around eleven. I'll bring it out for you." Shiro went into their bathroom and brought out the bottle. It was pretty low, although there was enough to get Keith through the day. He made a mental note to get more after work.   
He set that on the coffee table too, then crouched down beside Keith. "Anything else you need?" Keith shook his head. "Ok, sweetheart. I love you. Get some rest. He kissed Keith's cheek before standing and heading off to work. 

Shiro walked into the cafeteria and scanned the room for the paladins. He finally spotted Allura's radiant hair. Lance was with her, of course, as were Veronica and Acxa. He strolled over and sat down beside Lance. 

"Good morning, everyone," he greeted. They all responded with varying levels of formality. 

"Where's Keith?" Lance asked. Shiro wasn't surprised. He very rarely came to the cafeteria for breakfast, and never without Keith. 

"Home," Shiro answered. "He's sick." 

"Oh, how terrible!" Allura exclaimed. "I hope he recovers swiftly. 

"Me too, Princess," Shiro replied sullenly. 

"Must be pretty bad for Kogane to miss work," Veronica mused. "Doesn't he have a meeting with Iverson this afternoon?" 

"He does, which is why I'm here."

"Need me to reschedule it?" she asked, pulling out her data pad. 

"No, actually. Keith was hoping Lance would fill in." 

Lance stared at Shiro, eyes wide and jaw slack. "What do you mean?" 

"Keith wants you to review the data from your training session yesterday and report it to Iverson. He’d also like you to schedule another practical session." 

Lance gawked at Shiro. "You can't be serious. This is a joke."

"It's not a joke, Lance."

"Then he's… he's hazing me. There is no way he actually thinks I can do this. I'm gonna make a fool of myself."

Shiro angled his torso towards Lance and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I promise you that's not what's happening. He believes in you. You can do this." 

Lance paled as he looked back at Shiro. "I've never done it before. I don't know what to do." 

"I'll help you," Allura chimed in. "I've sat in on this kind of meeting before. I know what they're looking for." 

Lance's expression softened as he looked at her. He thanked her, then got a determined look on his face. "Alright, better get started then." He took his half-eaten tray and left, Allura at his side. Shiro watched them go, and was about to depart himself when Veronica spoke. 

"I don't know why he was so surprised that Kogane would trust him with this. He's been pushing pretty hard for Lance to be made lieutenant." 

"He has?" Shiro asked. 

"Yeah. You didn't know that?" Shiro shook his head. "I guess you remove yourself from all promotion discussions, but I'm surprised Kogane didn't tell you."

"We don't really talk about that stuff. I don't want anyone thinking I'm influencing Keith." 

"Oh, I see. Well, Keith filed formal recommendations for promotions for all the paladins. He requested junior grade lieutenants for Allura, Holt, and Garrett, and lieutenant for Lance." 

"Huh. When was this?" Shiro asked. 

"It's been a few months, I think. It was right after he got promoted. He brings it up every time promotions are discussed." 

"That's good to know. Thanks, Veronica." 

"Yeah, no problem." She shrugged. "Uh, don't you have a meeting to get to?" 

Shiro checked his watch and sucked his teeth when he realized the time. He thanked Veronica and took off. 

Shiro pressed his hand against the electronic pad and waited for the door to unlock and open. He walked into his apartment and went straight to Keith, curled on the couch in a tight ball, shivering. Shiro knelt down beside him and brushed his sweaty bangs away from his eyes. His brow knitted when he Keith whimpered and leaned into Shiro's cold prosthetic. He went to their bedroom to retrieve the thermometer and came back out to take Keith's temperature, cursing when the reading came back at 102.7. Shiro picked up Keith's water bottle, which was cradled in Keith's arms, straw centimeters from his lips. It was empty. He then looked to the bottle of medicine on the coffee table. It appeared Keith had not taken any. Shiro went into the kitchen, refilled the water bottle, and then returned it to Keith. He knelt back down beside the couch and poured another dose of medicine. Shiro left the cup sitting on the table and turned back to rouse Keith so he could drink it. It took a few attempts for Keith to become responsive and Shiro's heart ached at just how miserable he was. Keith levered himself upright with a great deal of assistance from Shiro. After he'd taken the medicine, Shiro helped him to the bathroom so he could relieve himself. When he'd finished Shiro guided him back to the couch and helped him settle in. He brushed his fingers across Keith’s sweat covered forehead, his brow furrowing as Keith leaned into the cool touch with a whimper.

Shiro worried his bottom lip as he observed Keith and came to an easy decision. He pulled out his data pad and sent a message to Iverson, Veronica, and anyone else he thought needed to know he wouldn’t be returning to work for the day, and would also not be coming in the following day. He didn’t mention Keith’s illness. Almost immediately Iverson sent a reply demanding to know what was going on, but Shiro ignored it. Veronica also replied relatively quickly, telling Shiro she understood, hoped Keith felt better soon, and that she would handle Iverson. Shiro smiled at Veronica’s email and, once again, thanked the universe for her. 

Shiro was heating some of the leftover lasagna for himself when his data pad chimed, signaling the arrival of a new email. He was expecting another from Iverson, since he’d ignored the first one, but was surprised to see it was from Allura. He opened it and frowned at the contents. Lance was supposed to meet with Iverson in twenty minutes and he was an absolute wreck. His nerves were fried and he didn’t think he could do it. Shiro sighed, thinking back to what Veronica had told him in the cafeteria that morning. He had an idea how to help Lance. He scarfed down his lasagna as he got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to take a small break from this "it's only going to be 2 chapters" fic to work on Chapter Two of Everything Feels Broken When You're Not Next To Me, and maybe try to hammer out a spooky fic for Halloween. Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first time actually finishing a fanfiction and first time sharing it. Hopefully it turned out alright. Thanks for reading.


End file.
